by Marty Trese, KnoxPages.com editor
MOUNT VERNON – A Mount Vernon woman has been charged with failure to comply with a lawful order after leading police on a high speed pursuit from the eastside of the city to Gambier ending on Met-o-Wood Lane. According to the report released this morning by the MVPD, at about 9:05 Tuesday morning Officer Matt Haver attempted to make a traffic stop. While he was southbound on Upper Gilchrist Road he saw a pedestrian at the corner of Venture Drive and Upper Gilchrist Road. She pointed to a tan Ford Taurus with 2 occupants that the pedestrian said was “squealing tires, running stop signs and driving erratically.” The officer saw the Taurus facing eastbound. The car, which was momentarily stopped, began forward, chirping the tires and nearly striking the curb. Officer Haver says he waved his arm out the window to stop the driver and as she pulled beside the cruiser he told her to hold on and asked what was going on. She advised that she had a doctor’s appointment and sped off eastbound at a high rate of speed.
At that point the pursuit was on as the officer activated his overhead lights. The Taurus turned left on to Upper Gilchrist Road. The vehicle then turned left onto U.S. Route 36 and continued east passing cars on a double yellow line, going left of center and traveling at a high rate of speed. In the report, Haver says “While attempting to keep up with the Taurus, I was traveling at times as high as 91 mph.” The pursuit continued on Route 36 to Gilchrist Road, Berry Road, and Vincent Road. At this point Knox County Sheriff’s Ptl Durbin joined the pursuit and took over advising dispatch of the location. The report continues that the pursuit continued back to Route 36 to State Route 308 with the driver going left of center multiple times and reaching speeds of approximately 72 mph.
Once inside the village of Gambier, the Taurus nearly lost control on a curve. As the vehicle approached the intersection of Chase Avenue and Wiggin Street the driver failed to stop, turned right onto Route 308 and continued towards Route 229. Traveling at a high rate of speed, the car didn’t stop for a stop sign at 229, continued along Laymon road until reaching Met-O-Wood Lane. The report says the driver waved her arm out of the window of the vehicle on numerous ocasions throughout the pursuit. Officers continued to pursue the vehicle until it stopped at the dead end of the lane.
The suspect, identified as Georgeanna Chapman, 51, of Mount Vernon was ordered at gun point to show her hands. After being told several times, she complied as well as tossed from the vehicle her keys, purse and cigarettes. Chapman eventually exited the vehicle and was placed into handcuffs.
According to the report Officer Haver asked Chapman why she did not stop but she “would not answer the question but rather talked about a variety of things that were not comprehensible.”
Chapman’s passenger, vehicle owner Jon Riley was placed in Ptl Durbin’s cruiser and was asked by Detective Sgrt. Dailey if they saw the officers trying to pull them over or heard the sirens. He said they did but Ms. Chapman advised him that she was not stopping even though he told her to do so. Officer Haver transporrted Ms. Chapman to the Knox County Jail.
Officers at the scene included Haver, Durbin and MVPD detectives Arnold and Dailey. Personnel from the Knox County sheriff’s office include Deputies Baker and Noggle and Detectives Feeney and Light.
To see a portion of the MVPD cruiser dashcam video of this pursuit click here.
